San Bruno woman charged with shaking infant son, causing brain damage

REDWOOD CITY — A San Bruno woman pled not guilty to a felony charge on Tuesday afternoon after prosecutors said that she shook her infant child, causing serious damage to the child’s brain.

Brianna Marie Cosey, 29, was in custody at San Mateo County Jail without bail, on one count of assault of a child under eight years old. She admitted to authorities that her 4-month-old child was crying, and she shook him so hard his head snapped back, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe.

After the child became unresponsive, she gave her son an ice bath to wake him up, prosecutors said.

Cosey appeared at a court hearing on Tuesday afternoon with Nicole Lambros, her defense attorney. Lambros pushed for bail to be set for Cosey, but the judge denied her request.

Lambros declined additional comment on the case when reached by the Bay Area News Group.

On Feb. 27, Cosey’s husband took their unresponsive child to the hospital, according to prosecutors. The baby was found to have a body temperature of 91.2 degrees. The hospital staff treated the child and notified police.

The infant was transferred to Stanford Medical Center; an exam revealed two brain bleeds, brain swelling and retinal hemorrhages consistent with shaken baby syndrome, according to the district attorney’s office. The doctors also found older injuries during the exam.

Cosey’s son has been moved from the hospital to another care facility, Wagstaffe said. The child is breathing on his own, but it may take months or years to fully assess the damage the child may have suffered.

Cosey’s next court appearance will be a bail hearing on April 4. The court is expected to set a date for a preliminary hearing on April 9.